Wham, a little later on a Monday afternoon, but here we are with more Criminally Good.

Enjoy.

[Chapter 21]

It was well past four in the morning by the time Roman, Neo and I had returned to the apartment we called home. Roman had insisted on sticking around to ensure that the cargo got taken away and dealt with properly – something about not trusting those animals to do the job right.

Winston, Not-Jerry, and Jack had all bailed basically as soon as we had landed in port – they were just as ready to go home and get some sleep as I was. I doubt it was just me, but sleeping on that ship was difficult. It had felt like there was a shadow creeping over my shoulder at every opportunity, breathing down my neck constantly.

Even though we were now home, and I could go collapse into bed, I didn't. I trundled off towards the kitchen, glancing over my shoulder to see Roman settle himself down into his arm chair while Neo wandered back towards her room.

I hummed quietly as I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of Vodka that we had in the cabinet. I returned to the living room and poured a glass for both myself and Roman, handing it to him.

He smiled towards me and nodded. "Appreciate it, kid."

I hummed, slumping down onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. "We did it. Pulled off one of the biggest heists in recent history, and got away basically scot free."

"That we did – pulled one over on the almighty Atlas, tech-giant and global military power house. Feels pretty good, doesn't it?" Roman asked, a knowing smirk on his lips.

I chuckled slightly, nodding as I downed half the glass. "Yeah, it really does." I frowned for a minute and thought. "Those Paladins we stole – why'd we hand them off to the White Fang? I thought this was your deal?"

Roman sighed, sipping at his vodka while I was drinking with reckless abandon. "It was. My idea, my intel, my crew, your plan. This heist was completely handled and funded by yours truly." He paused, leaning back in his seat more. "But most anything I do doesn't benefit me anymore."

I furrowed my brows at that. "What do you mean?"

He just laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head. "I mean what I said. You've met Cinder and her lackies. She's the one who's pulling the strings – I just follow along."

"That doesn't sound like you."

Roman laughed again, nodding. "Damn right. This whole arrangement is less than ideal for me."

I frowned, looking down at my now empty glass. "Then why work for her?"

"Because I don't have any other choice. Because if I don't, she won't hesitate to kill me and move on to whatever poor shmuck is next on her list." He sighed, taking a longer drink of vodka this time. "Better it be me than someone else who'd crack under the pressure."

"She'll kill you?" I asked. Roman simply nodded. "Who is she? I thought she was just another crime boss like Junior."

That got Roman laughing, shaking his head. "Oh, kid, that's great. Absolutely beautiful." He continued to laugh, though eventually started to regain control. "If you want the truth? I don't know. She just showed up one day – no prior information on her anywhere. She had the backing of the White Fang, basically told me work for her and live, or refuse and die." He gestured around himself. "I assume you can see what I chose."

I hummed, pouring another glass of vodka for myself. "So, she's the reason you're stealing every last speck of Dust in Vale, and the reason we stole those Paladins." Roman nodded. "And you don't know for what reason?"

He shook his head. "Nothing concrete, no. I've got ideas, but nothing I know for sure."

I pursed my lips. "Mind sharing?"

Roman smiled kindly and nodded. "Yeah, kid. This isn't something you need to worry about. Once I know, I'll be sure to let you in the loop."

I frowned, not exactly happy about being left out of the loop.

Roman finished his vodka and let out a yawn. "Well, thanks for the drink, but I think I'm going to head to sleep." He smiled at me again as he made towards his room. "Trust me, Jaune. Things'll work themselves out."

I watched him as he made for his room again, not shifting my gaze until his door closed. "Trust me, Jaune." I want to trust him – he's done nothing but help me, even when he thought I'd just walk away after all was said and done, he helped me.

But this?

This was something else.

That woman, Cinder, is holding an axe over his head, ready to drop it at a moment's notice if it strikes her fancy. Roman's being forced into working for her, into doing her dirty work just so he gets to keep living. Hardly seems fair.

I want to help – I want to get him out of this – out from under her control. But how? I'm just one guy. One guy with minimal connections, even less ability, and not even an idea of what direction to go.

I groaned, tossing back the last of my glass of vodka in one go. I took to refilling my flask as well – wouldn't do to be wandering around with it empty.

I pushed myself up to my feet and stored the bottle, dropping the two glasses into the sink before making back towards my room.

I was welcomed by the familiar train wreck that took over my room constantly, just like it had back home in Ansel. Scattered dirty clothes that would get gathered up eventually, as well as the clean ones still left, unfolded, in the basket, ignored until they were needed.

The only exception to that was the suit getup Roman had gotten for me. The dress shirt and vest, along with the pants were all hanging neatly in my closet.

My attention was drawn to my scroll which had been sitting on my bedside table since we had left for Atlas – Roman said it'd be smart to leave it behind, just in case someone was going to track us. It was blinking slowly, telling me that I had some unread messages to go through.

I sighed, plopping down onto my bed and opening up my scroll. When I thought it'd just be a few, I wasn't expecting a torrent of messages from a crew of people. At the top of the list was Ruby, who last sent me a message a few hours ago.

Ruby: Hey, Jaune. It's been a little while since we last talked, and I get it. You're busy doing… stuff, and that's fine, but I'd really like to sit down and talk soon.

Ruby: … Jaune, I heard about the incident at the docks. Call me when you can.

Ruby: You're starting to worry me, Jaune. Nobody's seen you in weeks, or even heard from you. Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay.

Ruby: My Uncle Qrow says he's seen you recently, and you were okay then. He said you should be getting in contact with me soon. What's wrong?

Ruby: Damnit, Jaune. I'm worried sick here. I don't know what's happened, if you're okay, if you've been hurt, or anything. I don't need to know. If you don't want to talk to me, fine, but please, just let me know you're okay. I don't like worrying like this. Please, Jaune.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I read over the messages once again. God, I'm an idiot, aren't I? She promised to keep my secret, and then what do I do? I ignore her. For almost two months, I ignore her. Some friend I am. I laughed bitterly, shaking my head as I started typing out a response to her.

Jaune: I know I'm late to responding, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I got caught up with work, y'know? I was called out of the city for a while on a job, and forgot my scroll at home. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth, I promise. I'm sorry to have worried you so much. I'm fine, I promise. Just worn out and tired, but nothing more.

It was weak, and hardly did anything to make up for the worry and stress I must've put her under over the past couple weeks alone, but it was the best my sleep deprived mind could come up with.

I flipped to the next set of messages – well, calling it a set wouldn't be completely right. It was only one, and it had come in four or five days ago.

Unknown: Drop me a line when you're back in town. We should have a chat and a drink.

Jaune: You know, meeting up with strangers who randomly text me sounds like the bad scenario in a kidnapping PSA.

I wasn't expecting the unknown number to respond so quickly.

Unknown: Funny, that didn't stop you drinking with me when I approached you before.

I rolled my eyes. Of course, that's who this is.

Jaune: Very funny, Qrow.

Qrow: My, my, my. He does have the ability to read between the lines – who would've thought?

Jaune: You're an asshole, you know that?

Qrow: You're stupid if you're only just now figuring that out.

Jaune: I've known for ages – only just now calling you out.

Qrow: Likely story.

Jaune: Whatever. So, you said meet up for a drink and a conversation?

Qrow: On to business then. Yeah, a drink and a chat would be grand – you've been gone a few weeks, after all.

Jaune: When, and where?

Qrow: Eh, couple days. Someone's coming in to town who I'm sure you'd like to meet. I'll let you know later.

Jaune: Works for me.

I shook my head, letting the conversation end there as I scrolled down to the next sender.

Yang: Listen, blondie. I know we're not friends or anything, but you're worrying my little sister. She's been harassing me to see if I know anything almost constantly. Just do me a favor and talk to her – or at least tell me some thing so I can put her mind at ease.

I thought about responding, but I had already handled the issue with Ruby, or at least, I had started the dialogue that might let me smooth things over. I left her message ignored and sighed, seeing that I had finished responding to what messages I had, I clicked my scroll off and laid back in bed, still fully clad in armor and clothing.

I stared up at the ceiling, my mind slowly wandering. My father – the huntsman. The hero. He worked with Roman. Why? What reason did he have? When did he turn back? Why did he turn back? Why haven't I?

I sighed, closing my eyes. When I came to Vale, I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to slay Grimm, to save villages, to protect people. I didn't want this – I didn't want to become a criminal, to kill people, to lie, cheat, and steal. Yet… here I am. Living this life, working with Remnant's greatest criminal, helping him pull off the biggest heists in recent history.

I swallowed, opening my eyes again as I stared up into the pitch-black room. Why? Why am I still here, doing what I am, helping Roman the way I am? I heard some quiet movement outside, though ignored it. Ever since he took me in, he's treated me like his own. Taught me, trained me, helped me. All of it – he's responsible for me becoming who I am today.

I heard more shuffling outside, and still ignored it. I think that's why. He's been here. Even if it's only been for a few months – he's supported me. Helped me. Been like a father to me – more than my father ever was. My door creaked open slightly, and I snapped my gaze towards it, one hand flying almost instinctively to the hilt of one of my daggers.

I narrowed my eyes, seeing the familiar silhouette of Neo standing in the door. She tilted her head at me, likely seeing my reaction.

I sighed, releasing my hold on the blade and relaxed once more. Neo must've taken that as an okay, as she slipped into my room and closed the door behind her.

Rather quickly, I found that she had come to lay down next to me, resting a hand on my still armored chest. That got her to tap on the armor slightly, getting a metallic knocking sound to softly echo in the room.

I hummed, sitting up. "Alright, alright." I murmured quietly, pulling myself out of bed.

I stripped off the armor and the remains of the suit I was wearing, tossing them to the floor in a heap that might get dealt with later, if I thought about it. That left me in a pair of boxer shorts and a gray tee shirt.

I laid back down in bed, resting one arm behind my head. Neo quickly took to using me as a portable heater, and pillow combined in one, wrapping her arms around my torso as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I hummed quietly and draped an arm over her back, letting my hand rest on her hip lightly.

I closed my eyes, finally letting myself relax as I felt the ever-welcoming tendrils of sleep start to encroach on me.

I swore I heard Neo make a tiny noise of contentment as I fell asleep, but I well could've been imagining it, too.

[-/-]

I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling, a bed that wasn't my own, and a constant, rhythmic computerized beeping. It didn't smell like, well, anything. It was sterile.

I groaned, feeling sore all over. I looked around, and found that like the ceiling, the walls were white and mostly lifeless. I could see out the window, and I knew instantly I wasn't in Ansel. For one, Ansel doesn't have this much brickwork in the whole town, let alone one building.

Second, was the fact that there was a massive wall out in the distance, and buildings as far as the eye could see, running all the way up to the edge of the wall in the distance. I was in Vale, that was the only thing that made sense.

Why was I in Vale? What happened?

The last thing I remembered was…

Grimm. A Beowolf. Threatening my sisters, my mom. I won't let it.

The rhythmic beeping became more erratic behind me, and I felt on edge. I expected the creature of darkness to show itself any minute.

The door into my small hospital room opened, and an unfamiliar man stepped in, dressed in simple teal scrubs. He didn't look like he was from Vale, but then again, who was I to say? Maybe he was.

He smiled at me. "Ah, good. You're awake." He glanced over to the heartrate monitor that was still going wild behind me. "Calm down. You're safe here – so is your family."

I blinked. He knew? How?

"I heard about what you did, Jaune. It was very noble of you." He commented, picking up a clipboard that had been hanging off the foot of my bed.

"My sisters…" I croaked out.

"They're all perfectly fine. You're the one who came out the worst."

"Where…?"

The nurse hummed, noting that my heartrate was starting to slow back to normal again. "They're here. Your whole family is – waiting for you to wake up." He looked up from the clipboard at me again. "You're lucky, you know. Most people would've died doing what you did, especially without Aura."

I coughed a few times, my throat extremely dry and scratchy. "But I… didn't."

The nurse nodded once more, his gentle smile still on his lips. "Right you are. You didn't." He stepped away for a moment, returning with a cup of water. "Here. Small sips – otherwise you might throw it all back up."

I nodded weakly. Now that I had been put at ease that my family wasn't in danger, nor was I, I took a moment to look down at myself. I didn't look too awful, at least I didn't think so. I only had a cast on my right forearm, meaning I had broken that at least. Nothing else immediately caught my eye as being wrong or broken.

I tried to sit up, though a lance of pain shot through my chest, eliciting a yelp from me.

The nurse looked up again from his clipboard. "Careful, bud. Try not to move much, okay? You're still healing up a few broken ribs, as well as your collarbone." He hummed a moment, setting the clipboard down again. "Take it easy. You're alive, and got lucky, but you're still not doing so hot."

I nodded weakly again. "Okay."

He made towards the door. "I'm going to go tell your family that you're awake. They'll be in shortly."

I nodded again, willing to take the nurse's advice and just lay back and wait.

A minute later, my mother stepped through the door, tears in her eyes, and a smile tugging at her lips. Dad was nowhere to be seen. "Jaune… You're okay…"

I smiled weakly. "Hey, mom."

She broke down into tears then, though kept herself from wrapping me in a hug despite how much she wanted to. "I was so worried."

I nodded once more, smiling slightly. "I did what I had to do… I had to protect you and the others. Just like dad would've."

She nodded. "You did a fantastic job, sweetie. Really, you did." She said through tears that were streaking down her face.

"Don't cry, mom. I'm okay, really. Just a few broken bones." I said, trying to reassure her.

She just cried more.

I hated seeing her like this – normally she was so strong, so sure of herself and her command over us. She had to be, what with eight kids and all. Crying, shaking and barely able to speak – it didn't fit her.

She remained that way for a few minutes before finally getting control of herself. "I'm going to go get your sisters, okay?"

I nodded. "Hey, mom?"

She stopped in the doorway, looking back towards me? "What is it?"

"Where's dad?"

She just bit down on her lower lip. "He'll be here soon, sweetheart. He got called in to work."

[-/-]

I groaned, stretching slightly as I blinked the last of the sleep out of my eyes.

The sun was shining in through my window, meaning that it was some time in the afternoon.

I tried to sit up, though found that I was restrained by a weight snuggled onto my chest. I looked down, finding that Neo hadn't moved all that much in the night. She was still half laying on me with her head nestled practically under my chin. Her arms were wrapped around my torso still, and she had thrown one leg across mine.

This wasn't completely new to me – waking up and sharing a bed with someone. My younger sister would often come to my room when she had bad dreams and crawl into my bed with me, or sit in my lap as I played games if I was still up.

While it wasn't completely new, it was in this context. Over the past few days, Neo had taken to quietly creeping into my room to sleep with me. It was sweet, really. I also found it rather comforting having her there with me after I had gotten used to it.

I looked down at the tricolored girl snuggled into my chest. She was dressed similarly to me – just a rather oversized navy-blue tee shirt that went down to about her mid-thigh. She looked so calm and peaceful, as she laid there, latched on to me. A gentle smile had spread over her lips as well.

Part of me just wanted to lay here and go back to sleep, not having the heart to wake her, but I thought better of it. I had things that I wanted to do today, and that couldn't be done with her sleeping on me all day.

It was odd, though. Ever since that little incident back in the bunker, she'd been just as, well, her in public, but took to being like this when it was just us. I didn't mind – I wasn't one much for PDA, so this was fine. Yet, I still wasn't completely sure what our relationship was. We had kissed a few times, and she slept in my bed with me. It all sounded like we were together, but I wasn't completely sure.

I sighed and gently shook her, my hand still resting on her hip lightly. "C'mon, Neo. Wake up."

She just snuggled back into my chest and tightened her grip.

This was also starting to become something of a morning ritual, or afternoon ritual. It depended, really. Our sleep schedules were weird.

I shook her again. "At least let me up – I've got stuff to do."

She shook her head, maintaining a strong grip on me.

I inched my hand up so that it was resting on her side now, rather than her hip. "Let me up, or else." I said, a slightly playful tone in my voice.

She looked up at me, a heatless glare in her eyes that seemed to say 'You wouldn't dare.'

"Care to test that theory?" I asked tauntingly, a grin spreading over my lips.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You did this to yourself."

I proceeded to tickle the tiny assassin laying on my chest.

To be fair, she managed not to react for about a solid ten seconds or so before she started to squirm and wiggle underneath the fingers of a professional tickler. It's a title I proudly earned and retained thanks to having seven sisters, all of whom were ticklish. It was just a matter of where.

Neo decided to try and fight fire with fire – just of a different sort.

She shoved her face into my neck and started nipping at the sensitive flesh there.

I bit back a groan of pleasure at that, though stopped the tickling. She, however, continued.

She continued to nip and bite at my neck, eliciting a few groans from me as she came to be straddling my hips.

She granted me a moment of reprieve as she placed both her hands on my chest, splaying her fingers out over my clothed chest.

She had a devilish smirk and an evil look in her eye to boot.

I sighed, reaching up, I pulled her down to me, crashing her lips into mine for a moment. Rather than deepening it, I broke away laying back.

She pouted at me, still looking down as her hands were splayed out over my chest.

"Trust me, Neo. I want to, as I'm sure you're aware." She ground her hips against mine in agreement. "But, I'm not ready. I don't want to rush this, okay?"

She frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Let's just take it slow – enjoy it. I'm not going anywhere, nor are you."

She stayed that way for a minute, seeming to think as she looked down at me. She nodded after a while.

I smiled, pulling her back down for a gentle kiss.

We broke apart after a few moments, me smiling slightly as I shifted her off my chest. "Now, if you want you can go back to sleep. I've got stuff to do."

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, sitting on my bed as I got up to my feet.

"You can be upset at me all you want; it won't do you any good." I said as I gathered a change of clothes from my basket.

I glanced back to see her stick her tongue out at me. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm gonna grab a shower." I paused for a minute. "And no, before you even think about it, you're not joining me."

She pouted again and glared at me.

I rolled my eyes and made my way from my room.

Roman was nowhere to be seen, though I wouldn't be surprised if he was still asleep, much like Neo and I both wanted to be.

I took a quick shower – an old habit that came from sharing with a house full of women. I got used to waking up earlier than everyone else so I could take a quick, hot shower while we still had warm water. One too many freezing cold showers taught me that it was worth losing that extra half an hour of sleep.

I emerged, letting Neo slip past me, watching as she intentionally put more sway in her step than was needed. I shook my head, wandering out into the kitchen, I started brewing a pot of coffee for myself and Roman, whenever he woke up. I also set out to making Neo and I breakfast.

I settled on simple – eggs, sausage links, and toast. It wasn't extravagant, but my cooking never was.

Neo emerged from the shower just about as breakfast was finished.

I looked up to her. "Hey, go tell Roman that I've made breakfast if he wants any."

She nodded, turning around and knocking on the master criminal's door. She let herself in a moment later, emerging with a bedraggled Roman trudging behind her.

The great Roman Torchwick too could look exhausted and like a literal zombie in the morning. This was especially true if he hadn't had any coffee and a shower.

I chuckled, shaking my head. I stepped away from the sizzling sausage links, and poured a cup of coffee for Roman, getting a glass of orange juice for Neo while I was up, too.

Roman smiled gratefully up at me as I handed him the mug, not saying anything as he started sipping at it. Neo took hers and offered a similar smile as I turned back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Roman was scrolling through the news on his scroll, while Neo was digging ravenously into her plate of food.

I opened up my scroll as well, noting that I had gotten a response from Ruby a couple hours ago.

Ruby: Thank god, at least you're okay. I've got school today, but I'll be in Vale around four to get some parts for my baby. If you're around, we should hang out.

I looked at the time, noting that it was a bit past three.

Jaune: Sure, I'm free.

Ruby responded pretty quickly.

Ruby: Great! Meet you at the park in central?

Jaune: See you there.

Ruby: You know, you suck at responding to messages in a timely manner.

Jaune: Hey, I've got a screwy sleep schedule.

Ruby: Did you seriously just wake up?

Jaune: … You can't prove anything.

Ruby: You totally did!

Ruby: Oops, I got caught. Gotta go – see you in a bit.

I shook my head, a slight smile on my lips as I leaned back in my seat.

Neither Roman nor Neo paid any attention to me as I finished up my messaging with Ruby.

I shrugged and went to finishing off my breakfast as well, downing most of my coffee in one go as well, now that it had cooled a bit. Despite that, it still burnt on the way down, though that was what I wanted. I had poured a couple shots worth of vodka into it.

Granted, it tasted awful, but that didn't bother me too terribly. Roman's right, you know. You are a day drinker. I internally rolled my eyes. Didn't matter that I was a day drinker, and well on my way to alcoholism. I'd be fine, I've been functioning well up to this point, haven't I?

I collected the three empty plates from the table and dumped them off in the sink – I cooked, so one of those two would clean. Probably Neo, because Roman couldn't be bothered.

"Hey, Roman?" I asked, getting him to look up from his scroll, bags still under his eyes.

"Hm?"

"Any idea where I could purchase Dust grenades?" I asked, the bandolier of simple grenades hanging in the back of my mind.

"Depends. If you're saying legally, there are probably some Huntsman shops that'd sell. Otherwise? I know a few dependable guys who'd be able to set you up."

I pursed my lips. "I'll go with the latter of the two – won't be tracked, no face to put the name to, or help connect the purchase to me or my mask if I use 'em."

Roman nodded appreciatively, a small smile on his lips. "Good thinking." He flipped back over to his scroll, and I got a message from the master criminal. "There, ask for her. Tell her I sent you, and you'll be set – it'll be put on my tab."

I nodded. "Great. Thanks, Roman."

He waved a dismissive hand, looking back to his scroll to browse news stories. "Don't mention it, kid."

I shrugged, wandering back to my room. I strapped Crocea Mors to my hip, sheathed the daggers at the base of my back, and clipped on the empty bandolier of grenades. I didn't want them, and so handed them off to Winston who was pleased to have more explosives to play with.

Dust grenades were just more out there, and tricky to fight against. Considering that was my only real win condition – out smarting and tricking my opponents if they were more skilled than me, I figured these would be a nice addition.

I wore the chainmail beneath my clothes, though the heavy armor was still completely shot and needed to be repaired by our smith friend. That left me feeling a little exposed, but I'd be fine – I was in the middle of Vale, after all.

I left the apartment, making for the place Roman had indicated I go.

It wasn't a long walk – only about fifteen minutes from the apartment. Part of me suspected that I had a particular Qrow following me, but I couldn't prove anything, nor could I spot him.

I arrived at the rundown shop that looked like it rarely got customers, but still had the glowing sign to tell me that it was open.

I pushed in, and was met by a young woman. She was, maybe, four or five years older than I was. She had long black hair, and fair skin. Her eyes were a light brown color, and she smiled at me. "Welcome, what can I do for you today?"

I didn't respond as I strode up to the counter. The girl tilted her head slightly, though didn't say anything. "Torchwick sent me." I said rather quietly.

The girl nodded and waved me to follow her into the back of the shop.

Behind a series of closed and locked doors that she had to take me through, and down a set of stairs, we were dumped into a rather large basement. One that had crates of Dust all around us, each clearly marked with what kind they contained.

"So, I'll ask again: what can I do for you today?" The woman asked again, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back against a wall.

"Dust grenades – assorted types. Anything that you'd be able to attach to this." I said, clicking the bandolier off and handing it to her.

She nodded appreciatively, looking over the bandolier. "Dust grenades, you say?" I nodded, and she grinned. "You've definitely come to the right place."

She pushed off the wall and led me deeper in to the basement, leading me to a wall of boxes. She unlocked one, revealing a large collection of Fire Dust grenades. "Best you can get on the market. Quality guaranteed, that whole deal that I'm sure you know by now." She reached in and grabbed a few of the handheld explosives. "These suit your fancy?"

They were bright red, just like Fire Dust. "I take it I can paint over it, to hide what kind of Dust it is?"

She nodded. "That you can."

"Fantastic."

She grinned. "So, I'll take that as a sale made?"

I nodded. "Definitely. Two fire, two ice, two lightning, and two gravity."

She nodded, bustling off and hooking the grenades onto the bandolier as she opened each box. "That it?"

"For the moment. Assuming these are the real deal, you can expect to see a lot more of me."

That got her attention. She nodded. "Like I said, quality guarantee."

"We'll see about that." I said, taking the bandolier back. I strapped it back to my chest, finding that the grenades didn't add much weight.

"The name's Liz, by the way." She said, extending a hand.

"Jaune. A pleasure." I said, offering a firm shake.

"I'm sure it is." I rolled my eyes and let my hand fall back to my side.

"Roman said he'd cover it on his tab." She nodded, rocking back on her heels. "Then I'm off. I'll see you later, I'm sure."

She winked at me flirtatiously. "I look forward to it, Jaune."

I let her lead me out of the basement and back into the shop proper. From there, I left with a wave over my shoulder.

I was equipped with grenades now, as well as Crocea Mors and my knives. Not to mention the simple dirty tricks Roman had taught me. Things were looking pretty good for me.

I passed the little time before Ruby was due to show up looking down over the crowds of people, civilian and Huntsman alike wandering through the streets of Vale.

Just like them, I let my mind wander. Blood. A hole in the head. Brains splattered everywhere. I felt the urge to be sick well up inside me, though bit it back as best I could. They died so similarly… One, my enemy. Someone I killed to ensure I lived. The other, an ally. Someone who died because I failed at my job, because I was reckless and didn't think about the risks.

I shook my head, closing my eyes for a moment. In a way, it's my fault she's dead. Just like I killed that thug… I killed her. God damnit…

I returned to the real world from my thoughts, noticing a red blur rushing its way through the crowd, towards me. I couldn't help but to chuckle. I braced myself for the impact that was sure to come.

And I cut this off right before Jaune and Ruby talk. Why? Because if I left it in, this chapter would be about twice as long, and that's just not what I'm after.

Onwards, to the reviews!

Greer - Roman actually has reasons for taking Jaune in, and they make him look like a better person, like someone with a heart rather than a thief gone terrorist.

Engineer - Murphy's Law in practice. Love it, or hate it, it's there and seems to dictate a lot of this story. That was something that always bothered me, that victory always seemed to come for free in a lot of stories, that the main character didn't lose anything immense. It doesn't always have to happen, but a clean victory every time kinda bothers me because it's not realistic. I know this is Fanfiction, but I like some realism. Brown hair huntress probably won't come back. She was an OC that just kinda got written to fill the role of antagonist in that little village. I am a big fan of making both sides sympathetic when I can. So, while we got no backstory on Roman in the show, this is what I've got to make him a likable guy who we want to see win. You're pretty right on the money, because Jaune agrees. He sticks to Roman because he's more of a father than his actual father ever really was to him. Ruby likely will want to gut Jason Arc when she knows the whole story, if she ever does. And a welcoming party indeed, one that is going to show up next chapter. Winter X Jaune X Qrow. Oh, dear god, what have you created?

2AM Guest - Hmm. You have regained some of my trust. Some. And hey, if you want to drop a review, I'd love that, and if not, that's fine too. You do you, man. I'll take those cookies and prepare myself for the next ten paragraph rant that I'm sure will come.

Geezuz - Oooh, he misses the easier one, but gets the harder one. Well done, sir. Not-Jerry's mask was indeed Hoxton's from Payday 2, one of my favorite games.

X3 - A hint of backstory. More will come as the story progresses. Glad the Jaune and Roman interaction is pleasing.

Nobody of Nowhere - Paul, AKA Not-Jerry, is probably my favorite of all the OC's I've made, just in general. He's the one we've had the most time with, and is just a cool guy imo at least. He's got more stuff to do in this story. RIP Jess. Jason is Jaune's father. Jason Arc - he was mentioned a long while ago... I don't know what chapter exactly, but that's Jaune's dad's name in my RWBYverse.

Josh Spicer - Wouldn't that be all kinds of fun? Jaune is in place of Roman. And yeah, Jess' death was sudden. Nobody asked for it, but you can see a little why it's important here, and the effects it's had on Jaune.

Valerious Lake - Well, if I get enough requests for it, I may make a separate story where I make little one shots like that from other character's PoVs because I agree, that'd be a neat idea.

Imperial Germany - F.